Scott let out a gasp and Tobin nearly tripped over his own feet.

They had been walking for some time now and their surroundings had already gotten dark. Thankfully, flame served as a sort of lantern and he walked ahead of them, fire blazing and gaze determined. Scott had lost a bit of blood and Tobin had been dreadfully worried. Head injuries were frightening and what made it worse was that he didn't know if Scott would wake up or not, so when his friend finally came to Tobin couldn't help but smile from ear to ear. "You...you have no idea how worried you made me." Tobin came to a stop and turned to look at his friend. "How are you feeling, we can stop to rest, you took a really hard hit to the head."

Scott pressed a hand to his head then asked Tobin about what had happened.

The coordinator's eyebrows creased in concern when he saw the blood. So...he hadn't been able to stop the bleeding, this wasn't good. "We were climbing the tree when an aftershock happened. One of the branches fell and hit you on the head, you passed out." Tobin winced when Scott looked like he was ready to fall over. The coordinator helped his friend sit down and gave the boy a sympathetic smile. "Are you sure you can keep going Scott, if you need to rest. I'll stay with you and we'll take a breather." He was worried about Alice and Rai, but knowing them, they could handle whatever situation was thrown their way and Scott, he needed to rest.

However, the new trainer didn't agree to resting and instead asked about Alice and Rai.

Tobin's expression turned dark and this time he failed a hiding his worry. "I...I don't know, I've been calling out, but there haven't been any responses. It's unlikely that they've gotten far though." He hoped the last part would comfort his friend because having Scott worry and run around didn't sound like a wise plan at the moment. "They'll be okay, Alice and Rai are tough." He forced a smile and placed a comforting hand on Scott's shoulder. "We'll be fine too. We'll find them and get to the nearest city, they'll fix you up and things will be okay, just trust me." Tobin turned to look at a distressed looking flame. "We'll find them."

The Quilava let out a huff before giving Scott and Tobin an encouraging nudge on the leg.

"Okay, just rest, Scott. I'll look around. I promise I won't go far." Tobin began peering at the forest. Trees had collapsed here and there and it was relatively empty and broken. It wasn't a pretty sight. The coordinator walked a little deeper into the forest before a rustling sound became clear. Cautiously, Tobin picked up a stick and gave the rustling bush a poke. Something from behind it let out a snarl and the boy inched back with a frown. "Scott, Flame, I think I found something..."

There was another angry snarl and slowly a Mightyena began to approach.

"Scott, Flame, we have a guest!" Tobin backed up slowly, stick held in shaky hands. He backed out of the forest and returned to where Scott and Flame were resting. The Mightyena followed after him, eyes observing the coordinator's every move. Flame hopped off the rock and focused his own eyes at the wolf Pokemon.

Tobin gulped. "No sudden movements...or it might attack." Before Tobin could say more the Pokemon leaped, pinning Scott to the ground. Mightyena bared his teeth, before snapping his jaw shut just inches away from Scott's face. "Flame back me up!" The boy rushed towards his friend and swung his stick at the wild Pokemon. The Mightyena was knocked off of Scott. The dark type rolled before getting back to its feet and this time charging after Flame. The fire Pokemon leaped back, shooting a stream of flames at the enemy but it was fast and soon it was snarling, eyeing both boys and the fire type.

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Someone was calling her...

Rai's eyes shot open and a piercing pain shot through her side. She let out a choked gasp and curled up even tighter into a ball. The last thing she remembered was falling...but everything after that was a hazy blur. She attempted to prop herself up only for another sharp sting to knock her back down. She bit down on her lip and screwed her eyes shut. Why did it hurt so much? 

The same voice called out to her again, but to be honest she didn't feel like moving, until she remembered Poppy.

The girl scrambled to her feet, a wave of nausea and pain crashing against her. She choked back another groan before crashing into one of the cave's walls, her movements similar to that of a drunk person. There was still a little light and she eyed the backpack with Poppy inside. It was then when she noticed Alice, crouched down beside the bag. So it was Alice who had shaken her awake. With her back against the wall, Rai sunk down into a sitting position. 

"Alice...Poppy," the trainer was having a hard time speaking without wincing. "Are...are you okay?" She wheezed. There was no time to panic, she had to keep soldiering on and they had to find a way out so they could get to Scott and Tobin. She was just about to push herself to her feet when the ground shook lightly and another mild aftershock occurred. There was the sound of falling rocks and suddenly the last remaining shards of light were sealed out and everything went dark.

Rai stiffened in place, fingers digging into the ground below. Suddenly, everything seemed so much smaller. The girl went ice-cold and took a deep breath, but suddenly even breathing became so much harder.